Overview

• President Trump has intensified his criticism of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, calling him 'Mr. Too Late' and threatening his removal over Powell's refusal to cut interest rates.
• U.S. stock markets experienced sharp declines, with the Dow Jones and S&P 500 each falling 2.5%, while the dollar hit a three-year low and gold prices reached record highs.
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) revised its 2025 global growth forecast downward to 2.8%, citing economic uncertainty stemming from U.S. trade policies and tariff disputes.
• The IMF projects stagnation for Germany’s economy and a significant slowdown in U.S. growth to 1.8% for 2025, attributing these trends to trade tensions and policy volatility.
• Concerns about potential political interference in the Federal Reserve have unsettled investors, raising fears of long-term damage to U.S. economic stability and global financial confidence.